Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.C.) on Sunday asserted that the Biden administration's policies on the U.S. southern border are “hurtful,” calling the border a “national security nightmare.”
“Our border is a national security nightmare,” Graham said in an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press.” “They are [the Biden administration] They made bad policy choices. This is a pain in their butts and we are not going to continue with stupid policies like this. We're going to change them. ”
Border security remains at the center of negotiations between the Senate and the White House, as the Senate seeks to reach a potential agreement to lift aid and border security measures to Ukraine and Israel.
Republican lawmakers have largely resisted the White House's initial demands for more, arguing that border security measures need to be tougher if combined with aid to Ukraine and Israel. The White House warned earlier this month that aid to Ukraine would run out by the end of this year if Congress did not act.
“The White House got engaged five days ago. They sent a supplement that included border security provisions, but it didn't change policy. We've been talking to them since September. Five days ago, we finally did. They have a seat at the table,” Graham said, adding that lawmakers feel like they are “in an impasse.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was among senior White House officials meeting with Senate negotiators last week.
Mr Graham said negotiations on the deal would continue into next year, despite some lawmakers insisting they were progressing.
“We're not even close to a deal. It's going to take next year,” Graham said, later adding, “The Biden administration's policy choices have made the border a dangerous place to approach.”
In making the case for increased border security, Graham said the threat environment in the United States has increased since an Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas killed about 1,200 people, including hundreds. He pointed to a warning from FBI Director Christopher Wray, who said: of civilians.
“Since October 7th, jihadist groups want to attack us because we support Israel. We've never been more worried about 9/11 than we are now. Borders have disappeared. . And we're not going to give up on Band-Aid fixes,” Graham said.
Asked to characterize the reported “progress” in the negotiations, Graham said: “The only way to secure a security border is to make them do things they don't want to do, and they don't. There is,” he said. Get there. It was the Biden administration's choice of policy changes that led to this debacle. ”
Mr Graham said progress was being made in negotiations towards stricter asylum rules, one of various proposals being discussed. Republicans have proposed Title 42-like powers that would allow the U.S. to stop processing asylum claims and allow authorities to expel immigrants if a certain number of illegal border crossings are made per day. ing.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
